Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Make rich, creamy chocolate chip cheesecake bars with a simple graham cracker crust. This recipe delivers bakery style cheesecake bars perfect for parties or make ahead desserts.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 4 hours 55 min
- Yield: 24 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for crust)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar (for filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter until combined. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the 1 cup of sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing just until each egg is incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the cheesecake filling over the warm crust.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is mostly firm but still slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven, prop the door open slightly, and let the bars cool inside the oven for 1 hour. This slow cooling helps prevent cracking and achieves a perfect cheesecake texture.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before cutting into squares.
Notes
- For easy cutting, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire chilled block out of the pan before slicing.
- If you prefer a slightly more gourmet dessert bars experience, use high-quality dark chocolate chips.
- To achieve a creamy chocolate chip cheesecake filling, make sure your cream cheese is fully softened to room temperature before mixing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg